//------------------------------// // Stake Your Claim // Story: Life Fiber Harmonize // by Crystalis McCloud //------------------------------// "You call this skimming?!" Senketsu gawked as he laid eyes on countless mounds of glowing red threads stacked well over ten feet high and stretching for what seemed like a full five acres of storage space. He hovered back and forth across the room, taking in the enormity of the resources at his disposal. "How the hell did you manage to get this many Life Fibers?" "Hehe, that is a family secret, my friend," Emerald chucked as he leaned back in his wheelchair. The feeding began in earnest, and thousands of Life Fibers shot from the mounds, latching themselves to Senketsu as he pulled them in. He turned a curious eye down to the boy and asked, "Does this family secret have anything to do with that strange transformation you underwent when you harmonized with me?" "Heh, sharp as a whip there, aren't you, Senketsu?" Emerald said with a soft chuckle. He watched as Senketsu slowly grew larger and larger, then would suddenly shrink as he compressed the excess Life Fibers to a more manageable volume. This process repeated with Emerald in deep thought, and on the third compression he let out a sigh. His eyes closed as he relented, "I suppose I did promise before that I would explain myself, didn't I? It must have been quite the shock, seeing that side of me." "Yes it was," Senketsu nodded as the absorption continued steadily. He thought back on the strange change that the boy had gone through. "Just what was that? For that matter, who was that?" Another, slightly deeper chuckle passed the boy's lips before opening his left eye. However, instead of the normal slate gray, his iris was now glowing a brilliant green that matched his hair. The same voice left his mouth, but what civility he maintained utterly vanished, his demeanor changing completely as he slouched back in the wheelchair and said, "Hey there, Senketsu. Guess I can formally introduce myself now. The name's Jade Mist, Emerl's partner in crime." "A split personality?" Senketsu blinked in surprise. "I see. So you were the one that took control when the battle began. I thought that it was strange when your fighting style became so uncharacteristically wild and vicious." "Emerl's got a pretty crazy streak in him too," Jade pointed out with a smirk. "If you ever see him get really mad, you'll see a monster even worse than me." Senketsu's gaze softened at those words, and he said, "Monster is a bit strong isn't it?" His eye lost its glow, shifting back to gray, and Emerl said, "Would you have any other word for us after what you saw?" Senketsu's eyes shifted from side to side on his body as he answered, "No, I would not. Ryuko and I once thought the very same thing about ourselves. In the end we learned that it it isn't what you are that makes you a monster, but who you are." "Thank you for the kind words, but whether we are a monster or not isn't important," Emerald said with a grateful nod. His other eye opened, with this one now glowing from Jade's presence. When they spoke, a strange, haunting echo followed. "While you dine, we shall do as we promised. We will tell you everything we know: about this planet; about the war that has been waged against the Life Fibers; about our family; and most importantly, about the parallel world where all of our magic comes from. For the sake of this and all other worlds, we must not let it be taken." ~*~*~*~*~*~ Coco sighed softly as she followed Honey to her room. Her soft features were twisted into a frown as the weight of her situation started to sink in. Honey took notice, glancing over to see her downtrodden expression. She pondered for a moment before giving Coco a gentle nudge with her elbow, saying, "There's no need to worry, hun. They'll be, like, totally safe." "Huh?" Honey beamed happily as she explained, "You were just thinking about your family, right? They've already been taken somewhere safe where Crystal Prep can't get to them. You can even see them whenever you want once things settle down a bit." "O-oh, that's good to know, thank you," she stuttered out, her eyes flicking away in embarrassment. "That, um... That wasn't what I was worried about though." Honey's gaze softened as she walked alongside the girl, waiting patiently until she spoke up again. "It's just that, well, Emmy's put so much faith in me, and I don't know if I can meet his expectations," she answered hesitantly. Her emotions were a whirlwind inside her as she tried to make up her mind. "I love to design and sew clothes, but if I use Life Fibers, then those same clothes will be weapons to hurt others with. I want to help, but I don't know if I have it in me to keep making them, or if I can even make anything capable of standing up to them." "Don't say that," Honey encouraged her with a firm pat on the shoulder. "Emmy says you're a mega genius at weaving Life Fibers. You're the one that figured out how to weave the Life Fibers so that they could unleash the magic inside of us, rather than suppress it. That's the super-hugest step ever! Nobody's been able to achieve something that amazing in over a thousand years." Coco nodded, but her frown didn't lift in the slightest, "That may be true, but now they have the basic principle that allows that, and it's only a matter of time before they're manufacturing Three Star Uniforms and maybe even a Kamui of their own. Plus, no matter how many Life Fibers Emmy may have for Senketsu to absorb, we'll never be able to match the raw production volume they can achieve." Her shoulders slumped and her head tilted forward, masking her face in shadows as she trembled. "If they can make anything I'm able to, and make more of it, then what good am I?" She let out a short gasp as Honey gripped her shoulder and spun her to look her in the eye. The woman's vibrant pink eyes gleamed with a surprising intensity as she spoke. "Don't underestimate yourself. You can do anything you put your mind to," she told her. With a playful wink she added, "Beside, my little bro wouldn't trust just anyone to continue our mother's work. So put that cute little head of yours to work and weave a way around the problem. I know you can do it." Coco blinked for a moment as the words sank in, then broke into a fit of giggles. "You know, when you talk like that I can actually tell that you're Emmy's sister. You sound just like him when he gives a dramatic speech," she blurted out between chuckles. Honey broke out into another big grin, joining in on the laughter and saying, "Guess you caught me, but keep it a super-duper secret. Don't want my customers knowing I'm not just some silly blonde." She put a finger to her upturned lips and whispered, "Just between you and me, Emmy got so good at his speeches because he would always parrot mom and me. It was so cute when he was little." "Hehe, I can only imagine," Coco smiled back. "Your mom must be a great woman." "She really was," Honey sighed. "Oh, I'm so sorry," Coco immediately apologized, a hand lifting to her lips. Honey started back down the hall, waving to encourage her forward. "Don't you worry your pretty little head. You couldn't have known." Coco nodded and fell into step alongside Honey. She did feel as though she should have known from how she was apparently being trusted to continue their mother's work, but she appreciated the thought anyway. It was a lot to be expected to carry, but somehow Honey's words had put her a little bit at ease. The wheels in her head were already spinning up ideas for just how she could make Emerald proud. ~*~*~Two Days Later~*~*~ An automatic door slid open as Emerald stepped into what used to be the storage room. Now, the walls of the room were lined with dozens of enormous supercomputers, and several smaller stations littered the space within their circle. Each of the stations had a person typing away on it at breakneck speed. The race was on at this point; to find the ideal pool of talent with which to start their own army that would battle Crystal Prep. At the center of the room were two chairs, a large one, and a small one, and in the latter sat Senketsu, fully restored and observing their progress. He now looked just like Emerald remembered from the videos he'd seen, having returned to his form as a black and red, Neighponese school sailor uniform. His collar spiked upward like brows for his eyes that emerged from the scarf tied beneath them. The point where the two ends of the scarf tied together even fashioned what looked like a mustache, and further down, the separation between his blouse and skirt was what formed his mouth. "So we're absolutely certain, Digit?" Senketsu asked as a man in the Safe Skies Deliveries uniform stepped up beside him holding a tablet. The man, who Emerald recognized as Digital Dexterous, was tall and wiry, with short black hair and light blue skin, sharp, angular features, and wire rimmed, circular glasses that glinted in the myriad lights of the room. He turned the tablet for Senketsu to see, and confirmed, "Yes, the readings we've been picking up have been coming from this location. It also seems that they have been causing an unprecedented growth in magical energy among those in the immediate vicinity." "They're making magic grow stronger?" Senketsu asked as he took the tablet in his sleeves and began flicking across the screen. "Well, not exactly," Digit explained, pushing up his glasses. "It would be more accurate to say that the magic is being pulled closer and closer to the surface." "What's going on?" Emerald finally interjected. He walked up and took his chair next to Senketsu, spinning it around to face the two of them. "You're back on your feet early," Senketsu noted as he passed the tablet over to him. Emerald looked over the very familiar image of a school, flicking through one after another as he saw overhead views of a campus, a statue of a horse, and -- Wait, was that a girl stepping into the statue's pedestal? "Is that what I think it is?" he gawked at the image. "Indeed, sir," Digital confirmed with a nod, "It appears to be one of the ancient portals to Equestria you've spoken of. We were alerted to its location at Canterlot High School when an enormous magical signature was detected in its vicinity this morning. Check the next picture." A swipe and the next image showed another girl standing in front of the pedestal, she was holding a bundle of fliers in one hand, and clutching the back of her head with the other as students walked up to the school. The source of her pain was lying right on the ground behind her; a golden crown with a brilliant violet gemstone placed at the forefront. Emerald's eyes went wide at the sight of the gem, which was in the shape of a six-point star. "That's the source of magic you detected? I swear I've seen that symbol somewhere before. Do you think it could be someone's Mark?" "Mark?" Senketsu echoed. "What is that?" "Marks are pretty much the only form of magic from Equestria that still manifests for everyone in the human world without an outside stimulus like Life Fibers," answered, leaning forward and pointing to the shield emblem on the back of his coat. "At some point in everyone's childhood, we see our Mark vividly in our minds, and we have the Mark made into accessories or woven into all of our clothing. It's a symbol of our talents and personality, which in Equestria is known as a Cutie Mark. It's unconfirmed, but the few who know all this believe that we see our Marks when our Equestrian counterpart earns their own Cutie Mark." "Interesting," Senketsu replied, a sleeve moving to touch at his collar between his eyes. "It seems the interplay between the two worlds is pretty complex." "Ahem!" Digit cleared his throat to get their attention. "If you don't mind, I have a lot of work to do. Can we finish discussing the crown?" "Right, sorry," Emerald apologized. He bowed his head sincerely before flipping to the next picture, which showed the girl with the fliers walking away with the crown while the same girl that had been walking into the portal before was now stepping out of it, looking quite frustrated. Digit leaned in over the top of the screen and swiped to the next picture, saying, "You were right on the nose, sir. The crown is related to a Mark, one belonging to this next girl." The next image showed another girl being flung out of the portal, along with a dog. The one after that showed her screaming, and another one of her attempting to run on all fours. Most notable, however, was the violet, six pointed star that was sewn into her skirt, just like the gem on the crown. "So it belongs to her?" Senketsu chimed in. "A powerful magical artifact from this Equestria place is now in a world that usually has only the barest scraps of magic. She's likely here to retrieve the crown before it can do any damage." "I shudder to think what would happen if our enemies managed to get ahold of it," Digit worried. "If that kind of power were added onto a Kamui, then we'd never be able to beat them." Emerald remained silent, staring intently at the girl. "Emerl? What is it?" Senketsu asked, shaking his shoulder with a sleeve. "This girl. I know her," He answered without taking his eyes from the screen. "Her name is Twilight Sparkle, and she's a student at Crystal Prep. This must be her Equestrian counterpart. I wonder… could she be Equestrian royalty? Maybe even an alicorn?" "We can think about that later, right?" Senketsu asked, taking the tablet and handing it back to Digit. "Perhaps we should approach this Twilight Sparkle and inform her of the trouble this world is in? It could be dangerous in the enemy's hands, but if we were the ones to use it--" "No, we won't," Emerald shut him down right away. "Life Fibers are dangerous enough. We don't need to risk exposing ourselves and others to dark magic. Just like we don't want Life Fibers getting into Equestria, we need to make sure that any Equestrian artifacts stay where they belong." Senketsu was quiet for a moment before he gave the point to Emerald with a shrug. "Then what will we do?" "We'll observe for now. If this Twilight Sparkle needs any help getting the crown back to Equestria, then we'll step in to lend a hand, but otherwise we'll keep to the shadows until the portal closes. After that, Coco and I will infiltrate the school and blend in." "Infiltrate? So this is where we'll build our army?" Senketsu asked. Emerald nodded, leaning back in his chair. His eyes flashed green as Jade took over and said, "Teenagers have the highest affinity for Life Fibers, after all. Besides, you guys said earlier that the crown is bringing everyone's magic closer to the surface, right? That makes them all perfect candidates." "But even so, would they be willing to fight alongside us?" Senketsu wondered aloud. He spun his chair around to look over the rest of the room as the people worked diligently at the computers. "It's a lot to ask of anyone." "I don't think that'll be a problem," Jade said with a laugh. A vicious smile spread across his face, the look in his eyes turning as cold as ice as he stared off at some unseen imagining. "Canterlot High and Crystal Prep are bitter rivals, so I'm sure they'll be lining up to put every last elitist ponce in their place." He suddenly stood and threw his coat onto the chair, beckoning to Senketsu with a finger. "Come on, we're going to go keep an eye on things. Even if Emerl and I won't activate you, just wearing you should give us a little extra magic to work with." With a nod, Senketsu's body began to flow like water, and he leaped onto the boy's arm. Life Fibers slid along his body, taking shape as a new coat. This one was black as well, with his shield emblem still on the back, but now each shoulder had one of Senketsu's eyes on them. Emerald took control once more, turning to face his men. "Alright people! I want intel!" he barked to the room, sweeping his hand out in a dramatic gesture. "I want backgrounds; family; friends; associates; everything you can dig up on all the students and faculty at Canterlot High! Monitor all of their magical signatures as well, and figure out what pony transformation types they are. We'll need to start weaving outfits as soon as possible. Now hop to it so we can kick some ass!" "Sir!" Digit and all present shouted, standing at attention for only a moment before getting back to work. ~*~*~The Next Night~*~*~ Emerald and Senketsu stood atop the roof of Canterlot High, watching as a column of teal flame erupted from the school's front courtyard. Within the spire, a girl named Sunset Shimmer let out a cry as her heart turned the magic in the crown black and twisted her form. When the flames dissipated, what hovered in the air before them was nothing short of a demon. With skin of bloody red, hair that flickered and swayed like flame, and jagged black wings that flapped menacingly. "See what I told you?" Emerald said as they watched the demonic girl transform two young lackeys of hers into similar sinister forms. "We have no business using that crown. It needs to be taken back to Equestria before the portal closes." "Yes, I can't argue that," Senketsu agreed, glancing up at him. "The magic in the air is so thick that it's suffocating. Do you think they need our help?" Their presence went unnoticed, even as Sunset turned back to the school and shattered the entryway with a simple telekinetic clutch. Emerald smiled and shook his head, saying, "No. Let the Equestrian deal with the Equestrian problem. I have faith that Harmony will win in the end. It needs to if they have any hope of beating Crystal Prep." "Harmony... I've heard you say that a couple of times now. Twilight even called that crown an Element of Harmony," Senketsu pointed out curiously. "Is it really so important?" "Just watch and you'll see," he assured his companion, patting a hand on his own arm, Senketsu's sleeve. His faith was well placed. Things looked to be at their worst, with a crowd of mind-controlled students marching on the portal with Sunset leading them. Twilight Sparkle and her friends stood in her path, refusing to let her attack Equestria. The response was predictable, as the demonic girl summoned up a ball of magical flame and launched it at Twilight, attempting to obliterate her obstacle. However, it was in that moment that something changed. A flicker of powerful, pure magic followed the fireball as Twilight's friends threw themselves over her. This selfless act got a reaction from the tainted crown on Sunset's head, producing a magical barrier over the girls as they stood unscathed. "I'd only heard my mother speak of this magic," Emerald said with a smile, his eyes closing shut. "The magic that brings all together, that binds everything, including the two worlds. The magic of Harmony, forged by the bonds of friendship. This is the most powerful magic of all." They watched on as the six girls, without the aid of Life Fibers, underwent the pony transformation. They each floated into the air, hand in hand, and unleashed a dazzling rainbow of light upon Sunset Shimmer, who shrieked as the brilliance overtook her. In the end, after the blinding lights faded, Twilight and her friends stood over a smoking crater, where Sunset lay at its center, returned to her normal human form. "That was incredible!" Senketsu exclaimed. "Do you think that with these girls we could use the magic of Harmony to stop the Life Fibers?" Emerald shook his head, eyes opening again to point down at Sunset in the crater. "Harmony magic is the most powerful because it is capable of neutralizing all other magic, and can strip all but the blackest darkness from someone's heart," he explained. "If there is light, it can help it shine. However, the energy that Life Fibers use is completely different from magic, so they are unaffected. Since Harmony magic has no use for fighting either, we can't use it." "Guess I can't hope for a simple solution, can I?" Senketsu chuckled dryly. "So then..." Emerald was about to ask why he trailed off, when a sudden chill shot up his spine. This dreadful foreboding was echoed when Senketsu have a sudden shudder. The dreadful sensation pressed down on their shoulders as they slowly turned to look behind them. "Nui Harime," Senketsu hissed, confirming Emerald's suspicions before he too laid eyes on the pig-tailed girl. Fear kicked him into overdrive, and with a wave of his hand, the air all around began to ripple before settling down again. It was an illusion to mask all trace of activity on the roof from the students and faculty still below. "Hehehe, oh that's right, you haven't heard yet. I go by the name Koketsu now," she giggled, holding a deceptively dainty hand to her lips. Her dark sapphire eye locked onto the pair, causing Emerald to take a reflexive step backward. "So you're that Emerald Mist guy that's got my boss in a huff, huh? I hear you have some pretty neat tricks." This was nothing like watching the videos from Senketsu's memories. Nui, or rather, Koketsu, was a terrifying enemy back on their home planet, but nothing could convey the utter blackness her presence brought with it. An enemy this powerful... He stood no chance against her, even if he did activate Senketsu again. Koketsu tilted her head to look past the pair, spying the activity on the ground far below. With a peppy smile, she asked, "So what're ya up to? Checking out that doozy of a magic surge, like little old me?" Don't provoke her. Don't provoke her. In the name of all that is holy, don't say a damn thing to provoke her. Koketsu took another step forward, and Emerald teleported behind her on reflex. The girl didn't seem the least bit perturbed, turning back to face him once more. Even though there was a good twenty yards between them right now, it felt like she was staring at them from mere inches away. In truth, the distance between them meant nothing with her speed. She could be staring him eye to eye in a split second if she so chose. Koketsu twirled a finger through one of her pigtails, musing, "You guys are gonna have to work really super fast if you want to get this place ready to fight us, you know." So she saw through their plans for this school, that was to be expected. Her choice of words was interesting though. "You have no intention of stopping us? You're not here to fight?" Emerald asked. The smile Koketsu answered with sent a another chill through the pair, and she shook her head. "Nope, I already have the information that I needed. You can do whatever you want with this place." "That's awfully generous of you," Senketsu grumbled. "Are you really that arrogant? You could finish this right now if you wanted too." Was... was that an aura flowing off Koketsu's body? Not magic, but pure, unbridled power literally taking form around her. The blackness of her presence turned to pitch, and a terrifying murderous intent electrified the air. Violet Life Fibers spindled out of her hand, binding together to form a pair of giant purple scissors. She hefted the weapon, testing its weight and spinning it in a flourish before pointing it right at Emerald. The boy took another step backwards, easing into a wary stance. "I'll tell you the same thing that I told Miss Nectar, dummy Senketsu," Koketsu said in a sickeningly sweet tone. "I will fight you, and I will kill you. I'll shred you to pieces, devour you, and use your power to destroy everything, leaving only Life Fibers, just as Lady Ragyo dreamed. It'll be on my terms, though. I want you to struggle and suffer before you die." Emerald and Senketsu stood their ground, glaring helplessly at Koketsu as she shrunk down her scissors and tucked them in her pocket. Her eyes scanned over them before she turned away and said, "You'd better hurry up and find a better host than Mister Mist if you want to stand a chance, Senketsu. You'd better not disappoint me."With that she leaped away and vanished from sight. Emerald sank down to the floor, sitting there as his heart slammed in his ears. "We're still alive," he muttered in relief. "Oh man, I've never been so terrified in my life." Jade surfaced, eyes flashing green as he growled, "Damn it, Emerl! Why did you lock me out? I wanted to give that bitch a piece of my mind." Their eyes went gray again as Emerald answered, "Because your big idiot mouth would have gotten us killed." "Pfft, details," Jade dismissed the argument before fading away again. "You two sure have an interesting relationship," Senketsu noted in wry amusement. He was still a bit stiff and on edge from the encounter. "He's like an annoying, snarky brother," Emerald agreed with an equally wry chuckle. "Still, we keep each other in line, even if I'm the one holding his leash most of the time." Pushing himself to his feet, Emerald pat his own shoulder to reassure Senketsu, feeling his stiff fabric slowly start to loosen up. "How about we go home and I see about having Coco iron you out? We have a lot of work ahead of us." Just at the mention of getting ironed, a pleasant shudder passed through Senketsu's every fiber. "That sounds wonderful," he agreed. "As much as I hate to say it, Koketsu was right. We need to find a host for me as soon as possible." Emerald nodded, charging up his magic for a long range teleportation spell and vanishing in a chartreuse flash. He already had plans for that. If he was right, then they'd already found the perfect candidate.